Another player who was noticed on Saturday, but not discussed much was Michael Bennett. Here’s a guy who had 3 tackles and a sack and is getting almost no coverage as there is apparently only room to talk about the guy who has 2 tackles and 1 sack (Nick Reed).
I’m not hating on Nick Reed, but at 245 lbs, we’re certainly not going to see him sliding inside to the three-technique position anytime soon. Bennett measures out at 6’4″ 274 lbs and played at Texas A&M. In some ways, he’s the anti-Nick Reed in that he looks the part, but doesn’t have the history of production that Reed does.
Besides seeing him make plays on Saturday and generally be disruptive, I listened to Seahawks defensive line coach on KJR AM 950 this morning with Mitch Levy call Bennett “up and coming” with no prompting from Levy whatsoever. Coaches don’t pump up players too often, which made me wonder…how safe is Craig Terrill’s job?
Bennett is a possible practice squad guy, but we have not heard much about Terrill so far in the pre-season and did not notice him much in the first game. As Mebane’s primary backup at the mayhem-inducing three-technique position, Terrill must have an impact to be relevant. He has shown some real propensity for getting upfield in the past, so nobody should write him off, but he’s far from a lock based on his overall contribution level, especially if a young guy like Bennett can be as effective as Terrill is inside, and be able to slide outside to DE as well (something Terrill will never do).
Here’s a nice shot of him nailing the UT QB:
His pre-draft scouting reports are certainly underwhelming. Did the Hawks get the right guy at the right time, or was he just a flash in the pan? It’s certainly something to keep an eye on .